Friday, January 22, 2010

The Inugamis

The Inugamis, from Kon Ichikawa, director of Princess of the Moon, Harp of Burma, Enjo, and Nobi (aka Fire on the Plain), was an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery.

Based on a best-selling novel by Seisha Yokomizo, it was produced by the book's publisher, Haruki Kadokawa, in 1977. Kadokawa used this first credit to create a production company.

Ichikawa, who is now 94, remade the film in 2006 with the same title and some of the same cast members. Although the original is slower, I prefer it to the remake. I urge you to track the original down and behold its brilliant direction and doom-saturated mood.

These two pieces of poster art for the remake make a perfect case for returning to the illustrated movie poster. Their impact is negligible compared to the aesthetic pull of of the original film's striking art.